What do you get when you take a troupe of jazz, funk and brass musicians, dress them in marching band costumes, throw in stilt-acrobatics, hula-hoopers and Vaudeville dancers and ask them to put on a show? 

An experience unlike any other…that goes by the name MarchFourth!

Get ready Charlottesville, because the larger-than-life marching band is coming to IX Art Park as part of the Levitt AMP Charlottesville Music Series! Learn more about the “circus funk” group before their free show this Friday.

Originally formed for a Mardi Gras party held on—you guessed it—March 4, the Portland, Ore.-based band wasn’t intended to be a long-term project. But since 2003, the band—which has performed at Levitt Arlington (2012), Levitt Los Angeles (2011), Levitt Shell (2012) and Levitt Pasadena (2011)—has averaged nearly 200 shows a year and established a reputation as not-to-be-missed live.

The spectacle of MarchFourth’s shows can be attributed to their eclectic lineup, featuring electric bass, a five-piece percussion corps, a six-part brass section, stilt walkers, dancers, acrobats and more. They describe themselves as “being more than simply a band and more akin to a ritual, like ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’.” 

In 2013, their music attracted the attention of Disney-Pixar, who featured their recording of Eric Miller’s “Gospel” in the end credits of Monsters University. That same year, they also completed a cultural exchange tour in China sponsored by the U.S. State Department and plan to release a free documentary about the experience soon. 

Don’t miss MarchFourth this Friday at the Levitt AMP Charlottesville Music Series, starting at 5:30 p.m.! And Levitteers in Cleveland, catch the closing show of the Levitt AMP Cleveland Music Series tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. featuring rock, folk and bluegrass band Blackwater Trio!

Be sure to check your local Levitt for the latest concert info, including updates due to weather.